Britain’s Got Talent contestant Stacey Leadbeatter has hit back at critics following her progression to the final of the popular talent show.
The 29-year-old singer faced a wave of negative reactions after winning the second live semi-final on Saturday night.
Despite audience boos at London’s Eventim Apollo and criticism on social media, Leadbeatter has remained defiant, addressing the backlash in a powerful Instagram post.
Leadbeatter performed a cover of Demi Lovato’s Anyone during the second live semi-final of the competition and received the highest number of public votes, securing her place in the final.
However, when the results were announced, the audience at the Eventim Apollo responded with boos.
The negative reaction continued online, with viewers expressing their disappointment on social media platforms.
Undeterred by the criticism, Leadbeatter addressed the situation in an Instagram post on Sunday.
“I have seen so many not so kind comments since waking up this morning! Which I guess is understandable!” she wrote.
She acknowledged people get upset when they don’t get the results they want.
“But please remember I am a human being and I have feelings!” she continued, addressing the negative feedback.
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She praised her fellow contestants as “amazing” and “beyond amazing,” noting they had become her “lifelong friends.”
Leadbeatter then struck a defiant tone in her post, refusing to let the criticism affect her.
“But I’d like to add. I am strong! I am proud. I am on top of the world and nothing anyone says can bring me down off this little cloud I am on,” she declared.
She expressed her positive emotions about the experience, adding: “I am overwhelmed, I am ecstatic, I am excited, I am in awe. Most of all I am thankful and very, very lucky.”
In the semi-final, Leadbeatter competed against a diverse range of talented acts.
These included magicians Alexandra Burgio and Jannick Holste, singer John Pierce, cheerleading group Cheer Re Mans, dance ensemble Lil M’s, and impressionist Will Burns.
Guitarist Olly Pearson also performed during the show and received a golden buzzer from judge Simon Cowell.
This special recognition automatically secured Pearson a place in the final alongside Leadbeatter.
The final results of the public vote revealed that Leadbeatter had triumphed over her fellow semi-finalists.
Will Burns secured second place in the voting while Cheer Re Mans finished in third position.
Leadbeatter had previously shared her excitement about advancing to the final in a celebratory post.
“On cloud nine. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me tonight and who believed in me. You’re making all my dreams come true,” she wrote.
This isn’t the first time Leadbeatter has been the victim of negativity, with the singer recently revealing she had faced bullying for a speech impediment.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “I have a video of me singing from four or five years ago and you couldn’t actually understand properly what I was singing due to the severity of speech impediments. During the lockdown, I would sit through adult speech therapy sessions on YouTube and then incorporate that into my singing.”
She added: “If I don’t do certain exercises for say a couple of weeks at a time, I will start to revert back to how I was.”
Leadbeatter admitted she struggled at school due to her classmates’ incessant mimicking and mocking of her stutter.
“Children unfortunately sometimes can be a bit harsh and I wasn’t the popular girl at school,” she said.
However, she said that negative comments have only motivated her to aim higher and achieve more.